Dad's accused killer arrested, daughter thinks parolee suspect should have been in prison

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (KUTV) — The accused killer of her father has been arrested, but shebelieves the parolee suspect should have already been in prison.

“He was a great guy, very quiet, very soft spoken,” said Kim Dixon of her beloved father, 82-year-old Farrell Bartschi. “Just a sweet guy.”

This Father’s Day weekend, she is missing her dad, but after eight months since his death, the accused killer—Noel Munoz Lopez—is finally in custody.

On a morning last October, Farrell Bartschi was on his daily walk in the neighborhood of 4200 West 3800 South in West Valley. As he strolled on the sidewalk, shots were fired from a car.

Bartschi may not have been the intended target, but he was struck and killed.

“He went on his walks to keep his weight down,” said Dixon. “Everyday.”

Soon, Lopez—who may have lived at the house where he’s accused of firing the gun—was named as a suspect, and a reward was offered.

This week, police confirmed he had been taken into custody in Mexico.

But here’s the back story that deeply saddens a daughter, after her loss.

2News Investigates reported Noel Munoz Lopez was paroled from prison in March 2021.

The Utah Board of Pardons, which grants parole, said he served years for attempted murder, that Lopez earned a high school diploma in prison and had a “good release plan.”

Still, in August 2021, 2News Investigates reported Lopez tested positive for meth—-but was not sent back to lockup.

Friday, the board said they were never aware of the parole violation.

“Mr. Lopez was supervised to the standards outlined in policy for his assessment level, including field contact and reporting requirements, and had begun the process of treatment,” said the Corrections Department in a statement to 2News on Friday.

“In August 2021, Mr. Lopez had a violation of his parole, and AP&P responded according to the sentencing guidelines, which included a verbal warning and ongoing treatment in this instance,” Corrections continued. “According to guidelines, notification of this type of violation is typically not provided to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.”

So for meth use, Lopez got a warning and more substance abuse treatment, but no return to incarceration.

“They’ve got to get it together,” said Dixon about the actions of the state. “When the parolee violates the parole, they need to send him back to prison,.”

Two months after that parole violation, the parolee is accused of the shooting that took her father’s life.